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BioWare today outlined its plan to bring fans closure to the ending of Mass Effect 3. The studio said the DLC will expand on the existing endings, but no further ending DLC is planned.

A new FAQ was posted along with today's announcement that hopefully clears up any questions for fans. "Though we remain committed and are proud of the artistic choices we made in the main game, we are aware that there are some fans who would like more closure to Mass Effect 3," BioWare said.

"The goal of the DLC is not to provide a new ending to the game, rather to offer fans additional context and answers to the end of Commander Shepard’s story."

Additionally, BioWare said it "strongly believes in the team’s artistic vision for the end of this arc of the Mass Effect franchise."

"But we are still cautious about this. We don't just want a few minor changes. We want conclusions that properly reflect the choices we made over the many hours we spent playing the game - including at least one happy ending."

Why do people NEED a happy ending? I like that it's supposed to be bittersweet, but honestly, all the of the games endings are about as happy as it should get - they just need to clarify what happens, because there are a lot of minor and major questions that need to be answered.

I would've thought they'd make changes from the point of the beam hitting Shepard, and possible even extending a bit beyond the final scenes, but I never really expect a complete overhaul of the ending, and I personally don't believe there should be an overly happy ending. It was never BioWare's plan to deliver a happy ending, so I hope they don't ultimately give into this and have a happy "everyone lives, the mass relays aren't destroyed, earth is saved, Shepard gets laid" piece of garbage ending. lol

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I liked the ending to Mass Effect 3 it was very emotional for Shepard to finally die and with him the Mass Effect franchise is over as Bioware has stated.

However the first Mass Effect is still the best one out of all three. The first one had the best planet sequences and the vehicle. Mass Effect 2 added it later on via DLC but didn't work well with the planet surfaces only for that stupid hovercarft.

So as many people were mad about the ending to ME3 I was totally p!ssed off they did the same planet sequences as in ME2 and no vehicle, What The Hell! ? Might come in a DLC but it will be the same ignorant idea as in ME2. That and Bioware ending the franchise???? Who made that incredibly stupid decision? Mass Effect is one of their best titles and they decide to end it????

They can't make more with a different character as the main instead of Shepard?

"But we are still cautious about this. We don't just want a few minor changes. We want conclusions that properly reflect the choices we made over the many hours we spent playing the game - including at least one happy ending."

Why do people NEED a happy ending? I like that it's supposed to be bittersweet, but honestly, all the of the games endings are about as happy as it should get - they just need to clarify what happens, because there are a lot of minor and major questions that need to be answered.

I would've thought they'd make changes from the point of the beam hitting Shepard, and possible even extending a bit beyond the final scenes, but I never really expect a complete overhaul of the ending, and I personally don't believe there should be an overly happy ending. It was never BioWare's plan to deliver a happy ending, so I hope they don't ultimately give into this and have a happy "everyone lives, the mass relays aren't destroyed, earth is saved, Shepard gets laid" piece of garbage ending. lol

Totally 100% agree with you Gajari. The whole build up to the end worked so well because everything was building up to the fact that Shepard was not going to get out of this one. It gave the story pace and gravitas. You got to say goodbye to everybody, awsome. What I got out of my playthrough of all three games was that ultimately Shepard was going to have to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop the Reapers and he would not have it any other way. That's what I got at the end of ME3. How they implemented that was another matter as we all know and has been talked about to many times to go over again. This happy ending crap will do more to ruin the game than anything Bioware wrote originaly imo.

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ME3 did not and does not need a new ending, only a more indepth explaination of the ending is needed, which is what they are doing. Though if you can't figure out that the ending of the game is mostly a hallucination by Shepard, then watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ythY_GkEBck

Mass Effect 3 was the best game is the series, though close to ME2, if you can't see that then you must be blind to a good game or you're just trying to bash Bioware cause you're disappointed with SWTOR. SWTOR was a let down, get over it, but ME3 was and is a great game.

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Originally posted by Citrus

ME3 did not and does not need a new ending, only a more indepth explaination of the ending is needed, which is what they are doing. Though if you can't figure out that the ending of the game is mostly a hallucination by Shepard, then watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ythY_GkEBck

Mass Effect 3 was the best game is the series, though close to ME2, if you can't see that then you must be blind to a good game or you're just trying to bash Bioware cause you're disappointed with SWTOR. SWTOR was a let down, get over it, but ME3 was and is a great game.

I agree with your first part on the ending. I really liked it and it was emotional for me for the series to end but like you said we all knew it was coming and like you I do not want a happy ending, that would ruin the series but a more in depth ending would be nice.

As I really liked ME3 and still can't stop playing multiplayer, (my N7 level is now over 600), I disagree with you on ME3 being the best one. ME1 was and still is the best in the series. Planet missions with the vehicle still is the best in ME1.

There is really nothing to argue about as I really like all of them. I prefer ME1 planet side missions better that's all.

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It's all well and good but ME3 needs an ending DLC... with not just 1 ending in it mind you.

It should at least have 3 endings in it since all I got for $60 was 1 ending recolored two times.

Either way, I'm completely displeased with how they've handled this situation(among others) and I'm pretty certain I'll never buy another BW game again.(funny since I've defended SWTOR in the past)

I'm also this ->| |<- close to boycotting all of EA in general. I don't even care anymore if it won't impact them at all, enough is enough and principles need to prevail. Besides, with their nickel and diming, gut em for all their worth mission statement I won't be messing much of anything.

We really need separate forums for every newly launched game. There can be the anti-<MMO> one and there can be the 'what general discussion should be' one. All the lamenting can happen together where each can find solace in like minded can't-move-on-ers leaving the rest of us to actually move forward and discuss meaningful and relevant topics.

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If the ending taught you anything, it was that ME wasn't about fighting the reapers but about some god cyber child stopping robot on organic conflict with... robot on organic conflict... duh...?

Also they disappear no matter what color you like, so no reapers?

Actually the child at the end is a part of Shepard that is indoctrinated and trying to convince Shepard off his path for the last time. If you chose to control, you lose and are fully indoctinated, the reapers live and earth dies. If you chose synthesis, a human mixed with reaper? That's not hard to figure out that results in a husk, making you fully indoctrinated, you lose again. The only choice that is the way to beat the reapers is the destroy all synthetic life option, the child tells you the geth will also die to try and sway you from doing this. Thats why this option is only availible if you have enough War Assets.

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As much as I like the idea of Indoctrination, it simply doesn't happen, there's proof enough in the fact they're making an extended cut. What happens happens. They're going to slap on another 5 minutes of cut scenes explaining where people are, then have an epilogue about who did what after the dust settled. That's it. Casey Hudson basically had a temper tantrum and so the endings stay the same.

So what do we have? Probably the biggest letdown in video game endings of all time. Not fixed. But instead, extended to make that terrible ending last even longer. Will they explain how and why Joker is flying off? How the universe survives after the destruction of the Mass Relays? I mean, the explosion knocked the Normandy for six, you could see it tearing apart, so it's obviously damaging to everything. What about your unharmed squadmates, that were running alongside you before Harbinger attacked, walking out of the Normandy wreck on a distant planet? How did they get there? Why did they leave you dying on the floor?

I've already uninstalled Mass Effect 2, I was going to replay it under the assumption that they were fixing the endings, but I think I'll just give up now. That ending kills any replay value and I can't see how any 'extended mix' is going to help.

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This, explains quite a bit and makes sense... Thus, at the end when Sheperd takes a breath, it leaves it open to an ME4 final confrontation similar to Freespace 2...

Pretty certain that, while not the end of ME titles, there wouldn't be a direct sequel/continuation to the trilogy. The reapers by the end of 3 are generally considered to be out of the picture, though their technology, code, and past existence may influence other antagonists and plots similar to it has all ready done with previously assumed 'prothean technology'.

EDIT: I do like that indoctrination theory though. Problem is if it was true future ME would generally be isolationist/survival.

As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero. - Vaarsuvius

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Let's ignore all the other troubling and glaring issues with the ending and look at a small portion:

The Catalyst explains that destroying the Reapers effectively ends all synthetic life but saves the organics. He then intones that "your children will create synthetic life and the cycle will start again" or some other such nonsense.

Well no DUH since organics are saved it will only be a matter of months, if not weeks, before synthetic life is up and running again. After all, these species were the ones who were perfecting synthetics. Similarly, I don't believe the idea that implants would be permanently disabled for the reason stated above. After all, the minds and talents and materials for synthetics are all still there as are the "corpses" of the synthetic lifeforms. It's just a matter of getting them metaphorically jump-started again.

But that's just a tiny example of the MESS that the ending of an epic series embodies. I've never been so bummed in my life.

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Originally posted by UsualSuspect

I've already uninstalled Mass Effect 2, I was going to replay it under the assumption that they were fixing the endings, but I think I'll just give up now. That ending kills any replay value and I can't see how any 'extended mix' is going to help.

Wall of text begins now:

I'm right there with you, and I'm still sort of stunned that everything I thought and felt about the series could be completely reversed in such a short period of time. I don't know if you bought the Prothean DLC, but there's a conversation with Javik (the Prothean) after Rannoch in which he speaks to you about his Memory Shard; it's a stone that allows him to relive the bright points in his life (friends, family, etc.) but, in so doing, it also forces him to relive the fall of his civilization, the destruction and corruption of everyone and everything he cared about. In the game, he asks you if you'd use the stone knowing the consequences. The first time I played the game, I told him I would; the second time I played the game, having seen the ending, I changed my answer.

The whole series is like that Memory Shard now, and no matter how bright some of the moments in it might be, that pall of destruction, disappointment and inevitability hang over everything. You can't unsee it. Even general NPC chatter in Mass Effect 1 like "Oh, I have a brother in the Alliance!" makes me frown and walk away from the game now. That brother's almost certainly dead in the future, regardless of my actions. So's everyone on the Citadel. So's most of Earth. So's Palaven, Thessia and any colony or planet that relies on trade for food and medicine. And that's all assuming that space magic prevented the relay explosions from annihilating the galaxy. Bleh. Just bleh.

The thing about all of that is not just that it kills the series for me. That's crushing (especially considering how much BioWare made me care about my Shepard and her friends), but it's happened to me before. Unlike other series, though, the whole franchise is tied so tightly to narrative that no prequel (they've said future games won't be set post-Shepard) will seem worth playing. What's the point? We've seen how it ends, and it ends badly. We know all of the significant events, none of which can be changed without invalidating the previous stories. That means they'll have to tell much smaller stories (in which all of your descendents will eventually be wiped out by reapers and/or Shepard) or supportive stories (in which all of your descendents will eventually be wiped out by reapers and/or Shepard). In the end, though, none of it matters even the tiniest bit. It's all a slow, hopeless march towards inevitable destruction. Hurray?

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I twister part of me just hopes they add, yellow, purple and crimsion as extented versions of the ending and make players crawl to the other end of the map to select them, I mean there's room for three more color terminals. ;-)

Because flying a Minmatar ship is like going down a flight of stairs on an office chair while firing an Uzi.